Is Gina Haspel Qualified To Be CIA Director?

The drama in Washington continues around President Trump's choice of CIA official Gina Haspel to be its new director. Haspel's involvement in the CIA torture program and in covering up the evidence has led some Senators feeling unsure. Is Haspel qualified to head the CIA? That depends on what you think of the CIA and its mission...

Twitter: B4Liberty@USAB4L"Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country, and giving it to the rich people of a poor country." - Ron Paul
"Beware the Military-Industrial-Financial-Corporate-Media-Government Complex." - B4L update of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Debt is the drug, Wall St. Banksters are the dealers, and politicians are the addicts." - B4L
"Totally free immigration? I've never taken that position. I believe in national sovereignty." - Ron Paul

The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and do not represent this forum or any other entities or persons.

Ron Paul does not think that enough questions have been asked of the potential CIA Dicrector. One suggestion: question her about the drug trade in Afghanistan. Does she know anything about it? Has she ever been involved in it? Is the CIA involved in it? Would it be "immoral" for the CIA to profit from the drug trade? Would it be "illegal"?

Twitter: B4Liberty@USAB4L"Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country, and giving it to the rich people of a poor country." - Ron Paul
"Beware the Military-Industrial-Financial-Corporate-Media-Government Complex." - B4L update of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Debt is the drug, Wall St. Banksters are the dealers, and politicians are the addicts." - B4L
"Totally free immigration? I've never taken that position. I believe in national sovereignty." - Ron Paul

The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and do not represent this forum or any other entities or persons.

"I am so %^&*^ sick of this cult of Ron Paul. The Paulites. What is with these %^&*^ people? Why are there so many of them?" YouTube rant by "TheAmazingAtheist"

"We as a country have lost faith and confidence in freedom." -- Ron Paul

"It can be a challenge to follow the pronouncements of President Trump, as he often seems to change his position on any number of items from week to week, or from day to day, or even from minute to minute." -- Ron Paul

Originally Posted by Brian4Liberty

The road to hell is paved with good intentions. No need to make it a superhighway.

Originally Posted by osan

The only way I see Trump as likely to affect any real change would be through martial law, and that has zero chances of success without strong buy-in by the JCS at the very minimum.

Haspel either knew about anti-Trump spying or she lied to Congress, neither is acceptable
May 17, 2018

May 17, 2018, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement urging President Donald Trump to withdraw the nomination of Gina Haspel to head the Central Intelligence Agency after questions emerged over her potential role in spying on the Trump campaign in 2016:

“The Senate should stop any and all action on the Gina Haspel CIA nomination given new information about her potential culpability in igniting a massive counterintelligence investigation during the presidential campaign. Senator Rand Paul is asking the right question, which is, what did Gina Haspel know about the anti-Trump spying scandal, and when did she know it? Given her position as CIA London Station Chief at the very time this London-based operation was underway, it is not credible that she was unaware of this major abuse of power. Given her sworn statement that she would disobey legally given orders that she thought were wrong, it is clear that if she knew about the investigation, she embraced it. Either she lied to Congress, or she is at the heart of the greatest abuse of power by the executive branch that our nation has ever seen. Neither is acceptable, and President Trump should withdraw Haspel’s nomination.”

Twitter: B4Liberty@USAB4L"Foreign aid is taking money from the poor people of a rich country, and giving it to the rich people of a poor country." - Ron Paul
"Beware the Military-Industrial-Financial-Corporate-Media-Government Complex." - B4L update of General Dwight D. Eisenhower
"Debt is the drug, Wall St. Banksters are the dealers, and politicians are the addicts." - B4L
"Totally free immigration? I've never taken that position. I believe in national sovereignty." - Ron Paul

The views and opinions expressed here are solely my own, and do not represent this forum or any other entities or persons.

"Each of us must choose which course of action we should take: education, conventional political action, or even peaceful civil disobedience to bring about necessary changes. But let it not be said that we did nothing." - Ron Paul

"Paul said "the wave of the future" is a coalition of anti-authoritarian progressive Democrats and libertarian Republicans in Congress opposed to domestic surveillance, opposed to starting new wars and in favor of ending the so-called War on Drugs."

On Thursday afternoon, despite vocal opposition from many senators over her involvement in the Bush-era "enhanced interrogation", i.e. torture, programs, the Senate confirmed Gina Haspel in a 54-45 vote as the next head of the CIA.
In the end, support from Senate Democrats, including the Senate Intelligence Committee's vice chair Mark Warner, helped ensure Haspel's confirmation. She was previously approved by the Senate Intelligence Committee in a 10-5 vote early Wednesday in a closed-door session, paving the way for her confirmation.
While close, this was not the narrowest of Trump nominee confirmations, with Betsy De Vos, Jeff Sessions and Scott Pruit all confirmed with a narrower margin.
Haspel's 54-45 confirmation vote not the narrowest of Trump nominees: @BetsyDeVosED was confirmed 51-50, with @VP casting tie-breaking vote. Other narrow confirmation votes: -AG Sessions: 52-47 -@EPAScottPruitt 52-46 “Throughout the process, she demonstrated candor, integrity and a forthright approach to the committee's questions. She displayed the talent and expertise that make her uniquely qualified to face America’s biggest national security challenges, whether in the area of counterterrorism or renewed international competition among great powers,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said ahead of Thursday's vote.
Many disagreed: Republican Senators Rand Paul (Ky.) and Jeff Flake (Ariz.) sided with most Democrats in voting against Trump's controversial pick to replace Mike Pompeo. Sen. John McCain also opposed her nomination but was in Arizona battling brain cancer. Meanwhile, several Democrats including Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), the vice chairman of the Intelligence Committee, and red-state Democratic Sens. Joe Donnelly (Ind.), Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Heidi Heitkamp (N.D.) supported the nominee.